94 Westward Expansion: Supplemental Guide 4B |The Story of Sequoyah
Note: Extensions may have activity options that exceed the time
allocated for this part of the lesson. To remain within the time
periods allocated for this portion of the lesson, you will need to
make conscious choices about which activities to include based
on the needs of your students.Extensions 20 minutes
Sayings and Phrases: Back to the Drawing Board 5 minutes
Proverbs are short, traditional sayings that have been passed
along orally from generation to generation. These sayings usually
express general truths based on experiences and observations of
everyday life. Although some proverbs do have literal meanings—
that is, they mean exactly what they say—many proverbs have a
richer meaning beyond the literal level. It is important to help your
students understand the difference between the literal meanings of
the words and their implied or fi gurative meanings.
Note: Before asking students if they have ever heard the saying
before, have them practice reading it. Write the word board on the
whiteboard or chalkboard. Have students read it out loud. Add the
word drawing in front of board. Have students read the two words
together (drawing board). Add the words to the in front of drawing.
Have students read the phrase (to the drawing board). Finally, write
the word back at the beginning of the phrase, and have students
read the whole saying (back to the drawing board).
Ask students if they have ever heard the saying “back to the
drawing board.” Have students repeat the saying. Explain that if
someone has to go back to the drawing board, that means
s/he has to start something they have been working on all
over again because it didn’t work out the fi rst time. Remind
students that in the read-aloud they heard, Sequoyah’s work
was burned because the Cherokee people thought his symbolsTThe Story of Sequoyahhe Story of Sequoyah